MC Goldie Wilson

Being a white rapper alone makes you a pretty easy target, but if your style appeals to a pop-punk/emo audience, the bullseye only grows bigger. MC Goldie Wilson is indeed white, and like MC Lars before him, rocks rhymes in a manner that will make him appealing to a very un-hip-hop demographic. The major difference is that while MC Lars references pop-punk and emo artists in his lyrics and samples while rapping over lap-pop beats, Goldie actually plays his own brand of rhythm heavy pop-punk and then rhymes over it.

“Spring Break 1871” pretty much sets the stage for what is to come on the EP. Poppy and distorted guitar hooks collide with big drum machine beats while Goldie spits words in a nervous nasally stream during the verses and sings memorable hooks during the break-out chorus. On “Spring Break 1871,” said chorus sounds like it could have come directly from any contemporary pop-punk band with the lines, “Whoa, oh angel, work to get your head straight / You’ve been sleeping half a decade.”

The same bouncy pop-punk verse / big pop chorus formula can be found on “Hairodynamics,” which minimally features Aaron Scott of the recently defunct Marathon throwing down some backups, and “Sad Kids Can’t Dance,” where Goldie sounds a bit more confident as he crafts lines in a sassy Daryl Palumbo-like tone.

“What’s an Old-Timer Like You Want With a Two-Timer Like Me?” changes up the formula the most with its Head Automatica dance-pop vibe. Goldie even drops the rap thing for most of the song, opting instead to return to his Palumbo-styled cadence as he sings both the verses and choruses.

“Sharpshooter! Sharpshooter!” might be the EP’s standout track however, either because Goldie is repping PA pretty hard and I myself have only recently left the Keystone State, or because it best combines his attributes. The music is catchy and driving, sounding like it could have been a Brand New B-side. His rhymes flow smoothly (even if too sentimental at times), and the home pride chorus of “You can’t spell home without Pennsylvania,” is one of the better hooks on Anniversary.

Ultimately, Goldie is easy on the ears, but often unconvincing. His lyrics cross the emo line on more than a few occasions while his guitar riffs often border on cartoon-like. This is not credible hip-hop, nor accolade garnering pop, but instead is merely a sometimes fun, sometimes irritating bedroom project.